Emotional power

When we are communicating, the role of emotion is a vital one. People respond readily to emotions, and many of us remember an emotional impact long after we’ve forgotten the words that were said. It means that to get a message across, we can employ emotion to support our words. Facial expression is all-important. A smile can light up a message, a frown cast it down. Storytelling is so terribly important. And humour. And it seems that this has now been proven by research, according to this article. High emotion contributes to great opera. It does not, however, serve us well when making judgments about others. This is the argument advanced in "Feeling and Believing: The Influence of Emotion on Trust," a new paper by Maurice E. Schweitzer, Wharton professor of operations and information management, and PhD student Jennifer Dunn. The two researchers show how incidental emotions -- emotions from one situation that influence judgment in a following, unrelated situation -- affect our willingness to trust others, and thus our responses in certain business and social contexts. As Schweitzer puts it: "Did you give someone a big contract because of his reputation for dependability or because he told you a funny, uplifting story prior to making the deal?" You can read more at this site. And if you want to learn more about using emotion in your communications to make them more effective, visit an ITC club.

Conversation starters

Are you trying to improve your personal communication skills? Want to network more effectively? Or are you faced with a room full of prople? Where will you start? The simplest way to start a conversation is to ask a question. When a simple YES/NO answer of just a few words is sufficient, questions usually begin with ARE, DO, WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHICH. When further elaboration is required, the questions usually begin with HOW, WHY,IN WHAT,WHAT. So next time you are challenged with establishing a conversation, this is one tip to remember. For more communication success tips and articles, subscribe to our ezine, The Communication Edge.

Reading for all seasons

Hello, Not many posts lately, as I’ve been busy preparing awards to be presented at ITC convention (Baltimore). If you are in the northern hemisphere you will be in summer mode, with days by the pool or the beach, and holidays – plenty of relaxed time for reading. If, on the other hand, you live in the southern hemisphere with me, you will be snuggling by the fire in a comfortable chair with a good book. Either way, it seems, reading accompanies any season. Looking for some good reads? Here are some websites that will help. 1. Beach Bag of Books. Brought to us by Bookreporter.com. Their comment? “It wouldn't be summer without sun, surf and sizzling reading. You supply the beach chair and the sunblock, and we'll provide the fantastic fiction.” Each week they publish a fiction selection. There are reviews, author biographies, interviews, and book excerpts. 2. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh: Adult Summer Reading Book Lists You can choose from Renaissance, Medieval, Best Beach Reads, For Mystery lovers, and Mostly for guys. While you’re there you can use their Ask their Librarian. 3 National Public Radio Choices from personalities involved in this medium, reviewers and listeners. Includes reviews, excerpts and alternatives for children. 4. From the Guardian Unlimited Reviews and recommendations from authors. Fiction and non-fiction. Airport books, cookbooks, and selections. Books for children and teenagers as well as genre lists. The members of your local ITC club would love to hear a review of the book you choose. Choose an ITC club near you.